Since St. James Cathedral was less than five minutes away from the King Eddie. I made an unscheduled stop there. It may seem odd, but it was the first time I've ever gone in to take pictures there.
(From the 2011 Doors Open Toronto site) Built of local brick and Ohio limestone in the Gothic Revival style. this is the fourth church to be built on the site. The former Cathedral was destroyed in the fire that destroyed much of the Old Town in 1849, and Cumberland's design was the winning entry an international competition. It features the highest church tower in Canada, higher than the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, and houses the only peal of 12 bells in the country. There are only two towers higher in England - those of Norwich and Salisbury Cathedrals. Wooden features within the Cathedral are the work of Jacques and Hay furniture manufacturers in Toronto in the mid 19th Century who worked in close cooperation with the architect. While the stained glass windows are largely English, there are also those of German, American and Canadian manufacture. The most recent of these by Stuart Reid of Toronto was unveiled by The Queen in 1997 to mark our 200th anniversary. This church dates back to the founding of the city and was also the site of this city's first hospital. The rectory is the site of the first publicly funded school, now Jarvis Collegiate.
Time was getting short now. It was 3:45 p.m. and I had a few places I still wanted to see. I quickly went to the Metropolitan United Church on 56 Queen Street East (beside St. Michael's Hospital).
(From the 2011 Doors Open Toronto site) Metropolitan United Church began in 1818 in what is now the commercial heart of Toronto. The first building was a small Methodist chapel located on nearby King Street. The population of the city and membership in the church grew, so in 1831 it moved into the Newgate Methodist Episcopal Church, to accommodate 1,000 people.In 1868 the Methodist Church constructed Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church, which was dedicated in 1872. The building seated 2,300 and was described as Canada's "cathedral of Methodism." The United Church of Canada was formed in 1925 by the union of Methodist and Congregational and two-thirds of the Presbyterian churches in Canada. Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist became Metropolitan United and was chosen as the site of the first General Council of the United Church. In 1928 when fire destroyed the church building the congregation commissioned a redesigned structure. The largest organ in Canada, built by Casavant Freres in Quebec, was installed and first played in 1930. The organ has 8,233 pipes.
Next was the Toronto Hydro Corporation at 14 Carlton Street East (just east of Yonge). It was pretty disappointing. It's a beautiful looking building, but they only opened the lobby to visitors. On the bright side it gave me time to try and see Canada's National Ballet School.
(From the 2011 Doors Open Toronto site) Toronto Hydro’s Head Office Building at 14 Carlton Street was constructed from 1931 - 1933 by A.W. Robertson Company with designs by architects Chapman and Oxley with associate Albert E. Salisbury. At the time, its neighbours were Maple Leaf Gardens and Eaton’s College Park. The building features an Art Deco style and displays a linear composition, with gargoyles peering down at pedestrians walking by. The structure consists of steel and concrete and is faced with Queenston limestone and trimmed with marble copper. In 1991, the building was designated as a historic site.
As stated before my last stop was Canada's National Ballet School at 400 Jarvis Street (just north of Carlton Street). It almost never happened. I got there at a little after 4:30 p.m. I didn't realize the last time of admittance was at 4:30. I thought it might have been 5:00 p.m. But, that's actually when they're supposed to close to visitors probably. There were a few people standing in line to go in. The security guards said they were sorry, but they wouldn't let any more people in. Luckily one of the volunteers giving the tours came by and let us in. This is another site I was interested in seeing. But, in previous years cameras weren't allowed in. This year they changed their tune. I was really happy about that.
(From the 2011 Doors Open Toronto site) Canada's National Ballet School graces Jarvis Street with a landmark, glass-fronted suite of studios. Formerly the CBC radio headquarters, NBS' campus now mixes historical & contemporary architecture in a multi-award winning campus. Visitors will tour the Celia Franca Centre - the contemporary building - and see how the historical and modern buildings are respectfully amalgamated.
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